Container closure



oct. 17, 195o Filed uarcny4, 1948 E. GRONEMEYER El' AL CONTAINER CLOSURE '2 Sheng-sheet 1 @mz/d. MM

JMW

Patented Oct. 17, 1950 CONTAINER cLosUnE Erich Gronemeyer, Pompton Plains, and' Samuel I Cherba, Totowa, N. J.

Anpnmion Maren 4, 194s, serial No. 12,975

l This invention relates to an improved container closure. V

The invention has among its objects the provision of an improved container closure which is easily and quickly applied yand removed, but which remains rmly in place in sealing position on the container when in use.

The invention has as a further'object, in a preferred embodiment, the provision of a container closure of the type indicated which is easily and cheaply made, is durableand is easily kept in.

clean, hygienic condition.

A further object of a preferred embodiment of the container closure of the invention is the provision of such closure which is self-sealing and thus does not require the application thereto, or to the container. of a separate sealing member.

These and further objects of the invention will be more readily apparent in the following description of preferred embodiments. of the container closure of the invention.

It has long been desired to have a container closure, especially for use with medicines and foods,"which while cheaply and easily made is durable, easily kept clean. and is impervious or substantially impervious to attack by or absorption of the material in a container. It has further been desired that such closure shall be easily applied and removed but shall remain in stable sealing position on the container when in use. Prior closures, of which Stoppers and caps are typical, have failed to meet one or more of the above desiderata. Stoppers most commonly in use, made of cork, are notoriously weak and easily breakable, hard to remove, and, due to their porous structure. readily absorb vthe contents of the container and thus are hard to keep clean. The screw-on type of cap, while durable and substantially immune to attack or absorption of the contents of the container is relatively expensive, requires appreciable time for its application or removal from' the container, and must be provided with a separate sealing means.

The container closure of the invention meets all the above requirements hitherto desired in such closure, and overcomes the disadvantages outlined above in such devices hitherto available. Briefly, the container closure of the invent-ion includes a top cap portion, which preferably spans the opening in the container, and a central hollow stem protruding downwardly from the cap portion into the opening in the neck of the container. the stem, the cap. or both functioning to seal the opening in the container. Both cap and stem, which are preferably made Claims. (Cl. 215-47) integral, are made of an elastomeric plastic material which is unaffected or substantially unaffected by the contents of a container. The

word elastomericmis the adjective formed from the noun elastomer, which means an elastic, rubberlike substance, as natural rubber, or any variety of 'synthetic rubber. 'Ihe hollow stem is provided intermediate its ends with a plurality of spaced generally longitudinal ribs of such radial dimensions that they contact the constriction in the neck ofA the container and must be deformed to pass or partially to passby `such constriction, after which they tend to resume their normal shape and temporarily lock the closure in a fully applied container-sealing position.

The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichz` Fig. 1 is a view in front elevation of a container closure, hereinafter termed a stopper, made in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

Fig.. 2 is a view in vertical section of the stopper shown in Fig. l, the section being taken along the line II-II in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a view in bottom plan of the stopper shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view in bottom plan of the stopper shown in the foregoing figures in the vicinity of a rib on the stem;

Fig. 5 is a view in vertical section of a stopper of the first embodiment partially applied to a bottle;

Fig. 6 is asimilar view in vertical section of the stopper shown in Fig. 5 fully applied in sealing position to the bottle; and

Fig. 7 is a view in vertical section of a stopper made in accordance with a ysecond embodiment of the invention. the stopper, being shown in fully applied, sealing position on a bottle.

The container stopper shown as the iirst embodiment of the closure of the invention is generally designated by the reference character 2. Such stopper is particularly designed for application to a long necked bottle of which those in which whisky and wine arel sold are typical. Such stopper includes the generally transverse top section I and the depending thin-walled hollow stem portion 6 located centrally of the cap 4 and integral therewith. In such rst embodiment. the hollow stem is made with a cylindrical inner-wall 8 and an outer wall I0 the elements of which lie at a slight angle to wall 8, wall I0 being in the form of the frustum o( a cone the apex of which lies below cap 4. The cap is provided with a depending outer flange I2 spaced from the upper end of wall III of the stem so as to provide an annular space I4 therebetween. The space provided within the hollow stem is designated I6. Such space is preferably made tp have the volume of a common measlll'ement, Such 8S 8. teaspoon 0l En Ounce, S0 that the stopper when removed from the container and inverted may serve as a measuring device. When the stopper is so used space I4 functions as a drip well. The bottom surface of flange I2 is inclined in the portion 80 lying closer to stem 6, surface 80 lying on a cone the apex of which lies above cap 4, as is evident in Fig. 2. The outer portion 'I8 of the bottom surface of flange I2 lies in a plane normal to the axis of stem 6.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, stem 6 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally extending ribs.

I8 on its outer surface, such ribs being equally spaced angularly about the axis of the stopper and being located intermediate the upper and lower ends of the stem, as shown. As shown in Fig. 2, the ribs are curved in longitudinal Section so that their top and bottom ends merge gradually into the conical wall I0. In transverse section, ribs I8 have the shape more clearly shown in Fig. 4. wherein one face 20 of each rib is shown as lying on a radius from the axis of the stopper and the other face 22 inclined therefrom at an angle a. In this case the angle a is 30, although it is to be understood that such angle may be varied widely. 'I'he face 20 of each rib faces counter-clockwise around the stem, and the `face 22 of each rib faces clockwise as seen in Fig. 3. As shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the ribs have a radial height approximating the wall thickness of the stem, and have a width at their bases, circumferentially of the stem, on the same order of magnitude as the radial height of the ribs.

Fig.l shows a typical mode of application of the stopper above described. In this gure the stopper is shown applied to a bottle 24 having a neck 26 which has an inner, substantially cylindrical surface 2e at its top beneath which are located two larger diameter annular portions 30 and 32 spaced vertically from each other by an intermediate constriction 3i. The upper edge 82 of the bottle lies on a cone of large apex angle, the apex being at the top, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. Stem 6 of the stopper is made of such diameter that its lower end readily enters the top of the neck of the bottle but that when the stopper is fully applied a tight seal exists between inner surface 28 of the neck of the bottle and the outer wall III of the stem of the stopper at its upper end of enlarged diameter. The stem 6 is made with such wall thickness and of such size externally, and the ribs I8 are made of such radial height that the stem may pass into the opening having sidewall 28 at the upper end of the neck with deformation of the ribs, and also of the relatively thin stem sidewall locally.

The stem is made of such length and the ribs are so located longitudinally thereof that when the stopper is fully applied to the bottle, as shown in Fig. 6, with surface 80 of ange I2 of the stopper contacting or approximately contacting surface 82 of the bottle, the ribs I8 lie at least partially within the zone of irregularity of the inner wall of the neck defined by widened zones 30 and 32 and the intermediate constricted zone 3|. In the construction shown in Fig. 6

lularlty and are located therein.

After the stopper 2 has been inserted into the container neck into sealing relation therewith, the ribs I8 tend to resume their normal shape. They thus interlock with-the projections in the zone of irregularity in the neck of the container, as shown, thus effectively temporarily locking the stopper on the container. In this embodiment, a foil 84, made for example of plastic, is wrapped around the outer surface I4 of the bottle neck and at least part of flange I2 of the stopper further to lock the stopper in place and to protect the seal against undetected tampering. When the bottle is to be opened, the foil is cut or broken along line A-A, surface 18 of the cap guiding the cutting instrument and Surface 82 of the bottle preventing travel of such instrument inwardly to cut stem 6 of the stopper.

'Ihe provision of ribs I8 on the stem is also advantageous in that it provides a path for the escape of gases from the bottle until the stopper has been inserted a substantial distance into the container. Thus, with the container of the invention there is little if any tendency for trapped gases in the container gradually to work the stopper loose. The non-symmetrical design of ribs I 8 is advantageous since it facilitates their deformation when the stopper is inserted into or withdrawn from the bottle. It also allows the stopper to be more readily inserted and withdrawn if it is turned during such processes so that face 22 of each rib wipes the surface of the bottle neck in a ,direction from the base to the tip of the rib.

The second embodiment of the stopper, shown in Fig. 7, is basically. similar to that above described except that it is designed to effect a seal with the container at only the annular top surface of its neck. Such stopper, generally designated 38, is provided with a top 40 overlapping the container opening, a central depending hollow stem 42 integral therewith, and a depending flange 50 on the outer edge of top 40. The inner surface of the stem, designated 44, is cylindrical, as is also true in this instance of the outer surface 46. Ribs 48 are of the same design as ribs I8 in the first embodiment. The stopper shown in Fig. 7, as in the first embodiment, is provided with a space, here designated 54, within its stem which may be employed for measuring purposes, and with an annular space 52 between the stem and flange 50, which will function as a spill well. The stopper cap and flange 50 also function to cover the pouring lip of the bottle, when the stopper is applied, thus maintaining such lip in clean, hygienic, condition.

The stopper is shown in Fig. 7 applied to a bottle 58 having a neck 6I), the bottle being of a conventional design in which the neck is provided with one constricted zone 64, a flared lip 62, and a lower zone 66 beneath the constriction which flares downwardly into the main space of the container.

The stopper is designed so that when it is fully inserted into the bottle neck its parts have the relation to such neck shown in Fig. 7. Thus ribs 48 are so located relative to the inner surface 'I0 of stopper top 40 that, when the ribs have just snapped into their normal shape beneath constriction 64, surface 'I0 will tightly and sealingly conta-ct the upper annular surface 68 of the bottle. In this instance the outer surface 46 of the stem is made slightly smaller than the constriction 64 of the bottle neck, thus allowing ready insertion of the stopper. The el tomeric plastic material of which the stopper is ade, speciilc examples of which are given belo is of such character that it alone is suiiicient o effect a satisfactory tight seal between surfaceii and 10.

It is preferred to a e the stopper of the described embodim nts of polyethylene, a commercially available pidct, one brand of which is sold under the trade mark Polythene and is made by the Du Pont Company,V Such plastic is durable and-sumciently rigid fr-the purpose in hand, and is soft enough to form a seal itself with. the container. In addition, such material is immune or substantially immune from attack by almost any known reagent. Another elastomeric plastic material which may be employed for the stopper is polyvinyl acetal. One brand of such material is that made by the Du Pont Company and designated Butacite. Other suitable elastomericv plastic materials from which the container stopper of the invention may be made include cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, ethylcellulose, polyvinyl formal, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl butyral, and vinylidene chloride. It is tobe understood that the above list of materials fromvwhich the stopper may be made is illustrative and not exhaustive.

This application is a continuation-in-part of our application Ser. No. 12,974, filed March 4, 1948, and entitled Dispensing Device.

Although we have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the container closure of the invention, and have indicated illustrative applications thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such constructions, since it may be varied considerably as to details, and that the closure of the invention is capable of use to advantage in many other applications. The scope of the invention is therefore defined by the appended claims.

We claim as new the following:

1. A device adapted to close an inwardly constricted opening in a container, said device including a thin-walled hollow stem adapted for insertion into said container opening, the stem being made of a relatively sti` elastomer, the stem having an outer surface closely approximating in cross-section the size and shape of the opening in the container, and a plurality of elongated ribs generally parallel with the axis of the stem spaced angularly about the axis of the stem on the outer surface thereof, said ribs being so located longitudinally of the stem and of such radial height that they are adapted to interlock with, and to lie at least partially interiorly of, the container with respect to the constriction at the opening thereof, the ribs having widths circumferentially of the stem which are much less than their lengths in a direction parallel with the axis of the stem, said device including means to close the container opening when the ribs on the stem are so interlocked with the constriction, the ribs progressively decreasing in width circumferentially of the stem in an outward direction radially away from the outer surface of the stem.

2. A stopper adapted to close an inwardly constricted opening in a container, said stopper including a top adapted to span the container opening, an elongated thin-walled hollow stem,

but still is markedly resilient? bothof 5 adapted for insertion into said container opening,

connected to the top normal thereto, the stem being made of a relatively stiff elastomer, the stem having an outer surface closely approximating in cross-section the size and shape of the opening in -the container, and a plurality of elongated ribs generally parallel with the axis of the stem spaced angularly about the axis of the stem on the outer surface thereof, said ribs kbeing so located longitudinally of the stem and of such radial height that they are adapted to interlock with, and to lie at least partially interiorly of the container with respect to, the inwardly located constriction on the container at the opening, the ribs having widths circumferentially of the stem which are much less than their lengths in the direction parallel with the axis of the stem, the ribs progressively-decreasing in width circumferentially of the stem in an outward direction radially away from the outer surface of the stem, said stopper including means to seal the container opening when the ribs on the stem are so interlocked with the constriction.

3. In the stopper set out in claim 2, the ribs being integral with the stem sidewall, the ribs being spaced substantially equally angularly about the stem and spaced from each end of the stem, said ribs further having the same, first, side of each lying substantially radial of the stem, and the other, second, side of each lying at a' substantial angle with respect to the said first side of the rib.

4. In the stopper set out in claim 3, the ribs having a radial height on the same order of magnitude as the thickness of the sidewall of the stem, the ribs being smoothly convexly curved in axial sections lengthwise of the stem, the upper and lower ends of the ribs merging smoothly into and approaching at small angles the outer wall of the stem.

5. In the stopper set out in claim 4, the top and stem being integral and being made of polyethylene.

6. The combination of a closure device with a container having an inwardly constricted opening, said device including a thin-walled hollow stem inserted into said container opening, the stem being made of a relatively stiff elastomer, the stem having an outer surface closely approximating in cross-section the size and shape of the opening in the container, and a plurality of elongated ribs spaced angularly about the axis of the stem on the outer surface thereof, said ribs being so located longitudinally of the stem and being of such configuration that they are interlocked with, and lie at least partially interiorly of the container with respect to, the constriction on the container at the opening therein, the ribs having widths circumferentially of the stem which are much less than their lengths in a direction parallel with the axis of the stem, said device including means to close the container opening when the ribs on the stem are so interlocked with the constriction, the ribs on the stem progressively decreasing in width circumferentially of the stem in an outward direction radially away from the outer surface of the stem.

'1. The combination of a stopper with a container having an inwardly constricted opening, said stopper including a 'top spanning the container opening, an elongated thin-walled hollow stem inserted into said container opening connected to the top normal thereto, the stem bey ing made of a relatively stiff elastomer, the stem having an outer surface closely approximating in cross-section the size and shape of the opening in the container, and a plurality of elongated ribs generally parallel with the axis of the stem spaced angularly about the axis of the stem on the outer surface thereof, said ribs being so located 1ongitudinally oi' the stem and being of such configuration that they are interlocked with, and lie at least partially interiorly of the container with respect to, the constriction on the container at the opening therein, the ribs having widths circumferentially of the stem which are much less than their lengths in a direction parallel with the axis of the stem, said device including means to close the container opening when the ribs on the stem are so interlocked with the constriction, the ribs on the stem progressively decreasing in width circumferentially of the stem in an outward direction radially away from the outer surface of the stem.

8. In the combination set out in claim 7, the ribs on the stem of the stopper being integral with said stem, the ribs being spaced substantially equally about the stem'and being spaced from each end of the stem, said ribs further having the same, rst, side of each lying substantially radial of the stem, and the other, second, side of each lying at a substantial angle with respect to the said rst side of the rib.

9. In the combination set out in claim 8, the ribs on the stem of the stopper having a radial height on the same order of magnitude as the thickness of the side wall of the stem, the ribs being smoothly convexly curved in axial section lengthwise of the stem, the upper and lower ends of the ribs merging smoothly into, and approach- 8 ing at small angles the outer wall of the stem. 10. In the combination set out in claim 9, the top and stem oi' the stopper being integral and being made of polyethylene. 5 ERICH GRONEMEYER.

SAMUEL CHERBA.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Num'ter Name Date 844,400 Radbruch Feb. 19, 1907 l5 1,093,211 Schulhoff Apr. 14, 1914 1,237,761 Dwyer Aug. 21, 1917 1,327,519 Bitler Jan. 6, 1920 1,419,580 Molinari June 13, 1922. 1,687,689 Petry oct. 16, 192s 20 1,747,760 Duffy et al. Feb. 18, 1930 1,946,981 Lower Feb. 13, 1934 2,304,532 Boxley Dec. 8, 1942 2,388,169 McAlevy Oct. 30, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 Number Country Date 390,471 GreatBritain Apr. 6, 1933 428,577 Great Britain May 15, 1935 519,553 Great Britain Mar. 29, 1940 

